I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord Himself. Interview with ⚡Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Albanian-born Indian Catholic nun, saint, missionary, humanitarian, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize for Peace laureate (1979), 1974

Recommendations This declaration written by Mother Teresa hung outside the Mother House referring to the public misconceptions regarding her person and the MC order.

Tell them we are not here for work, we are here for Jesus. We are religious above all else. We are not social workers, not teachers, not doctors. We are nuns. Blog article Mother Teresa: Where are her millions, presented by deeshaa.org, Walter Wuellenweber, date unknown

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. […] We need silence to be able to touch souls. ⚡Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Albanian-born Indian Catholic nun, beatified saint, missionary, humanitarian, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize for Peace laureate, 1979, A Gift for God. Prayers and Meditations, "Carriers of Christ's Love", 1975, HarperOne, reprint edition 26. August 2003

The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved – they are Jesus in disguise [...]. Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well. John Cusworth, Mother Teresa, paragraph 16, 28. September 2009

There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives – the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart. Source unknown

Whether I become a saint or a sinner depends on me. So you see how very important obedience is. Our sanctity, after the grace of God depends upon our will. Don't waste time waiting for big things to do for God. You will not have the readiness to say yes to the great things if you do not train yourselves to say yes to the thousand-and-one occasions of obedience that come your way throughout the day. Jesus the Words to Be Spoken. Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year by Mother Teresa, compiled by Father Angelo D. Scolozzi, Servant Publications, 6th printing edition October 1986

Right from the very beginning, learn to obey. It will lead you straight to God. You don’t have to ride this crooked life. There is a very straight way to the heart of Jesus. You will never, never go astray, never make a mistake, if you understand the difference. The superior who tells you to do this or do that may make a mistake. I may make a mistake and tell the Sisters do this and go here and go there. But that Sister who does what I tell her is infallible. So it is for you, members of the third order. This conviction is total surrender. (March 8) Jesus the Words to Be Spoken. Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year by Mother Teresa, compiled by Father Angelo D. Scolozzi, Servant Publications, 6th printing edition October 1986

Christ obeyed – unto death, even death on the cross. He saw the will of his Father in everything and everybody. […] He obeyed Caiaphas and Pilate because their authority was given "from above." He submitted to them with obedience and dignity. He did not look at the human limitations of Caiaphas and Pilate. He looked at his Father, for whose love he submitted himself to them. (October 25) Jesus the Words to Be Spoken. Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year by Mother Teresa, compiled by Father Angelo D. Scolozzi, Servant Publications, 6th printing edition October 1986

Who is Jesus to me? Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the cross. Jesus is the sacrifice offered at holy Mass for the sins of the world and for mine. Jesus is the Word – to be spoken. Jesus is the Truth – to be told. Jesus is the Way – to be walked. Jesus is the Light – to be lit. Jesus is the Life – to be lived. Jesus is the Love – to be loved.

Obedience and humility are the same thing. If you want to know if you are humble, ask yourself "Do I obey because I see Christ in every command?" You can get used to poverty; but every act of obedience is an act of the will. It gets harder as we get older because we have our own ideas and resent advice and interference. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the grace of obedience. (November 10) Thirsting for God. A Yearbook of Prayers and Meditations Mother Teresa, compiled by Father Angelo D. Scolozzi, Servant Books, 25. March 2000

People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another. Source unknown

If we really love one another they must love until it hurts. [Minute 4:45]True love has to hurt. That's a real love.[Minute [5:55]⚡Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Albanian-born Indian Catholic nun, saint, missionary, humanitarian, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize for Peace laureate, 1979, cited in: Audio interview with Mary Johnson (*1958) former US American nun Sr. Donata in the order of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, Living With A Saint Mother Teresa, Living With A Saint, presented by the Canadian web radio station CBC Radio Tapestry, host Mary Hynes, Canadian journalist, 53:58 minutes duration, aired 16. October 2011, reposted 6. July 2012

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.Life is a beauty, admire it.Life is a dream, realize it.Life is a challenge, meet it.Life is a duty, complete it.Life is a game, play it.Life is a promise, fulfill it.Life is sorrow, overcome it.Life is a song, sing it.Life is a struggle, accept it.Life is a tragedy, confront it.Life is an adventure, dare it.Life is luck, make it.Life is life, fight for it!

Source: ► ⚡Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Albanian-born Indian Catholic nun, saint, missionary, humanitarian, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize for Peace laureate, 1979

Quotes by various other sources on Mother Teresa

Personal avowals

The Mother Teresa I knew was a remarkably dedicated, self-sacrificing person, but not one of the wisest women I’ve known. Both empowered and shackled by religious faith, Mother Teresa was generous and unreasonable, cheerful and never content, one of the world’s most recognized women and one of its loneliest and most secretive. […] Mother Teresa was undeniably interested in reserving a really good spot for herself behind the pearly gates. [S]he was more interested in improving everyone’s lot in the next life than in this one. Mary Johnson, US American nun in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), Mother Theresa's Masochism: Does Religion Demand Suffering to Keep People Passive?, presented by the US American publication Alternet, Valerie Tarico, 28. April 2013

the first is purgative, cleansing the contemplative for a "final union" with Christ;

the second is "reparative," and continues after such a union, so that he or she may participate in a state of purity even closer to that of Jesus and Mary, who suffered for human salvation despite being without sin. By the end, writes Kolodiejchuk, "by all indications this was the case with Mother Teresa." That puts her in rarefied company.

What is so great about Catholic saints? People should realise a Catholic saint does not have to be saintly or nice in the secular sense, but has to be pure to Catholic dogma, especially on contraception and abortion.

Mother Teresa: She was not a friend of the poor. She was a friend of poverty. She said that suffering was a gift from God. She spent her life opposing the only known cure for poverty, which is the empowerment of women and the emancipation of them from a livestock version of compulsory reproduction. Video presentation by Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) English-American journalist, atheistic author, Christopher Hitchens: Empowerment of Women, presented by Cruciefiction, minute 0:52, 2:20 minutes duration, posted 23. May 2012

Quotes by David Hawkins on Mother Teresa

Note: David Hawkins presented his first book Power vs. Force with a simulated endorsement by Mother Teresa. After her death he considered himself as one of less than ten persons worldwide who were able to fathom her plight of the Dark Night of the Soul.

Question: I would like to speak compassionately to a person that is dying. He is not spiritual. What can I say?Answer: You can bless them. Look deep in their eyes, you can then "see" their soul. In my practice I did that with "impossible" patients where everything had been tried and I connected my actual reality with their actual reality (which is the same thing). Sometimes that healed them. Mother Teresa did the same thing. When they were healed they saw that their crippled bodies no longer mattered. ⚡Dr. David R. Hawkins, Sedona Satsang Q&A, Sedona Creative Life Center, 2 CD set, 8. November 2006

I think her writing is very difficult to understand, unless you are very sophisticated spiritually. Personally I feel it is discouraging to the average person and I disagree with the Catholic Church that countermanded her orders. […] I think they'll pay a karmic price for it. She demanded that her private letters be destroyed with her death and for reasons unknown […] the Catholic Church for some reason gets super dumb [Laughs]. They decide to publish it, those are very sophisticated things for the general public to read. […] Very sophisticated and the average person I think is going to diminish in their devotion to faith because they say "Look if Mother Theresa never got any farther than that with devotion, what chance is there for me?" So I disagree with the Catholic Church's position. I think they made a great error. She knew what she wrote was not comprehensible to many and that only to a very sophisticated spiritual person would understand. You know, I think it was a mistake that the book that is not restricted to strictly spiritual persons and it is going to be used by the anti-religionist, and they are going to jump at it. They are going to say "Look Mother Theresa can't get anywhere with God, then atheism is the obvious answer". In an error where atheism is on the rise, I thought it was unwise of the Church to contradict her demands. Her request in return for her service of a lifetime of devotion. The least they could have done is to respect her wishes. So I consider it an inappropriate error. ⚡Dr. David R. Hawkins, Sedona Satsang Q&A, 2 CD set, 17. September 2007

David Hawkins who corresponded with Mother Teresa tested in public whether his view on her was correct. (Calibrated as strong.)

[Paraphrased] Only 20 or 30 people in the world could comprehend Mother Teresa's work.

Her [Mother Teresa's] pathway is Karma Yoga, the pathway of Selfless Devotion and her lament via that she would experience the Prescence. There isn't any pay-off to karma yoga. Karma yoga is selfless service. Period. Her lament "Oh, where art Thy oh my Beloved?" was like St John of the Cross' and many others. When a beatific state comes on you, when it leaves, whether it leaves or not depends on if you move on from there or not. Many karmic factors apply, etc. It is a feeling that one's Beloved has left one's self. ⚡Dr. David R. Hawkins, Sedona Satsang Q&A, 2 CD set, 17. September 2007

[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak [...].

Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love — and now become as the most hated one — the one — You have thrown away as unwanted — unloved. I call, I cling, I want — and there is no One to answer — no One on Whom I can cling — no, No One. — Alone ... Where is my Faith — even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness and darkness — My God — how painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith — I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart — and make me suffer untold agony.

So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them — because of the blasphemy — If there be God — please forgive me — When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven — there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul. — I am told God loves me — and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?

Mother Teresa's surrender recommendation

Jesus said that:"I have chosen you.I have called you by my name, you are mine."Every day you have to say yes.

Total surrender:To be where He wants you to be.If He puts you in the streets, if everything taken from you and suddenlyyou find yourself in the street to accept to be in the street at that moment.Not for you to put yourself in the street, but to accept to be put there.This is quite different.To accept – if God wants you to be in the palace, well then, to accept tobe in the palace as long as you are not choosing to be in the palace.This is the difference.This is what makes the difference in Total surrender:to accept whatever He gives and to give whatever it takes with a big smile.This is the surrender – to God.To accept to be cut to pieces and yet every piece to belong only to Him.This is the surrender.To accept all the people that come, the work that you happen to do.Today you maybe have a good meal and tomorow you maybe have nothing.There is no water in the pump or – to accept – and to give whatever it takes –if it takes your good name, it takes your health, it takes your YES!That's the surrender and that's where you are free then.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.It was never between you and them anyway.

Source: ► Adapted poem by ⚡Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) Albanian-born Indian Catholic nun, saint, missionary, humanitarian, founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize for Peace laureate, 1979, adapted from the original poem The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith, written in 1968, renewed 2001

Above poem was written by Dr. Kent M. Keith in 1968. In 2001 Mother Teresa changed Keith's lines to some extent. Her version of the poem was engraved at the wall of her children's home in Calcutta, India.

Come and see encounter with Mother Teresa – Linda Schaefer

The first time in her life when photojournalist Linda Schaefer prayed to God she asked "Send me a good man". The next day she met her later husband. Soon after that he was diagnosed with a rare kind of terminal cancer. They married as planned – and she accompanied him in his last 1.5 years on earth.Linda SchaeferStanding in front of the operation theatre she heard a shattering of glass. It was the sound of the hardened bars of her heart falling apart (as described in Grimm's fairy tale The Frog Prince).

Later as a widow – prepared for more miracles – she had an encounter with Mother Teresa and was meant to be her last photojournalist to have full access to her premises. Mother Teresa – once she had left the plane and greeted the Archbishop – she looked directly at Linda Schaefer, walked up to her and touched her heart. In this moment Schaefer heard inside the words Come and See.

When Linda Schaefer first showed up unannounced at Mother Teresa's headquarters in Calcutta in 1995 and begged to be allowed to do a photo book of the nun's life and work, the answer was a humble but firm "no." Instead, Mother Teresa put Schaefer to work as a volunteer, changing diapers and playing with the children in one of the Missionaries of Charity's 40-odd orphanages. Over time, as Schaefer's motivations shifted from a drive to merely document to a desire to participate in the ministry, the nun permitted her to bring out the camera. The result was a unique photo book titled Come and See, DC Press, edition October 2003.

⚡Unquenchably thirsty. Leaving the convent of a living saint – Mary Johnson

Mary Johnson is the former US American nun Sr Donata in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (MC), founded by Mother Teresa in 1950. Up to 5,000 nuns of around 600 MC missions established in 137 countries around the world [status 2010] were subjected to ongoing enormous strain as their leader and aspiring Catholic "saint" had ambitiously professed to Jesus "to give Saints to Mother Church."Sr Donata was soon appointed to high ranking positions which allowed her to see Mother Teresa for several days every year. She served in New York, Winnipeg, Washington, and mostly in Rome as a superior. Rare among the MC sisters, she was sent to study theology at Regina Mundi, a (now closed) Pontifical women's university in Rome. Hence, she was given the task to rewrite the constitutions of the order. She had studied Mother Teresa's writings very deeply, traveled with "Mother", and taught her message of love.

Disillusioned, yet yearning to be herself and living an authentic life, Sr Donata, now aged 35, struggled with more and more with depression. The enforced aspiration for sainthood tore her apart. She acknowledged to herself that the "Spouses of Jesus Crucified" seen as "Victims of God's Love" are serving in a religious cult. After a self-imposed last year of intensified probation she chose to leave the austere MC convent where she felt choked by an anti-inquiry atmosphere, a cultlike insistence on absolute obedience, a partially mean domination, an overregulated pre-Vatican II protocol, pretense, and secrecy resulting in cognitive dissonance. Starved of human touch, Sr Donata eventually rejected the standard of extreme self-denial and the ritual of humiliation resulting in emotional deprivation and isolation amidst the sisters.

Renouncing one's vows was considered as one of the most shameful acts in the MC convent. In 1997, shortly before Mother Teresa's death, Johnson experienced themost painful day of her life when she left the order of her calling, preceding her choice to also leave the Catholic Church. After twenty years of service as a nun Johnson was given a plane ticket and 500 $ to start a new life.

After a decade of honest reflection and writing about her experiences and growth as a nun who had returned to the secular life, Johnson decided to share her candid yet poignant memoir An Unquenchable Thirst. Following Mother Teresa in search of love, service, and an authentic life, first published in spring 2011. In her first book Johnson depicts the human side of Mother Teresa, a charismatic person tied to hierarchical church politics. She reveals that the Missionaries of Charity sisters are subjected to dogmatic, rigid convent politics, have to ask permission for their needs and wants, are not to touch each other unnecessarily, and are discouraged from having human friendships among each other. Following Mother Teresa's obliging "suggestion" the committed nuns practiced corporeal penance by self-flagellating with a whip and wearing spiked steel chains (during morning prayers and mass). Exposed to real and possible joy and experiencing severe abuse the former nun describes her involvement with a sexually predatory subordinate and her subsequent love affair with a priest.

Not therapy but studying English and creative writing helped Johnson to readapt to secular life where she then reevaluated her relationship with older women. After her deconversion she does no longer believe in a Supreme Being. Married since 2005, she is a compellingly honest writer and a mindful public speaker who touches atheists, believers and those who grapple with the wondrous mysteries of life and faith.

In 1976, at age 19, I joined Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, a traditional community of nuns. Liberal American sisters in polyester didn't appeal to me; Mother Teresa's mission to the poorest did. I didn't realize the community would observe every Vatican decree as though it came directly from God.I was told that the highest use of my intellect was its unquestioning surrender in obedience; my superiors would always tell me what God asked of me. Eventually, I came to see that the Missionaries of Charity's anti-intellectualism and rigid separation from the world stunted our work and each sister's development. Editorial by Mary Johnson, US American nun in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), Nuns in Street Clothing Shouldn’t Frighten Vatican, Bloomberg, 24. January 2012

We were taught to tell ourselves that we are nothing. Those were the words. And we were to repeat the prayer "I am nothing, God is all". And that anything that we did that was not good came from us and any good that we did came from God living in us. Video presentation by Mary Johnson, Discussion of "An Unquenchable Thirst", alternative Video, sponsored by the "Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation", Museum of the "Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art", Brooklyn, host and moderator Debra L. Schultz, feminist historian, 25. September 2011, YouTube film, minute 48:10, 1:17:41 minute duration, posted 23. November 2011

Becoming a Missionary of Charity was like a fire burning in my heart. [1977] I couldn't go on feeling out of sync with my own heart. [1997] Article An Unquenchable Thirst, presented by Book Loons – "Reviews", Hilary Williamson, autumn 2011

I was convinced that my life could best be spent in loving service of the poor who needed it most, but I never expected I wouldn’t be allowed to bring my intelligence and creativity to my work. When I joined the Missionaries of Charity, my sister cried all night, telling me I was wasting my life.I might still be a sister if I had joined a more progressive group. I didn’t see the point in remaining in a group that didn’t want anything of me but my obedience. Rebuilding my life after 20 years in the convent wasn’t easy. But knowing that I can now make any contribution I want to make, that I am free to think my own thoughts, establish my own relationships, get to know my family again – there’s a new love and truth and fidelity there that I didn’t have when obedience was the primary virtue.Mary Johnson (*1958) former US American nun Sister Donata in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), founded by Mother Teresa, speaker, author, cited in: Former Nun Mary Johnson Criticizes Vatican Crackdown on U.S. Sisters, presented by the US American news and opinion website The Daily Beast – Women In The World'', Abigail Pesta, 27. April 2012

Sister Niobe was a sexual predator, which took me a long time to understand. The sisters who had sexual relations with Sister Niobe were nearly all very sexually naïve adults who had really no experience. I hadn’t either. […]Mother Teresa made it known that this was something not to be talked about. She even went so far as to imply that talking about this sexual sin was worse than anything that had happened. Mary Johnson, US American nun in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), cited in: The Calling of Disorder. Ex-nun Mary Johnson finds new purpose in writing, presented by "The Havard Crimson", Patrick W. Lauppe, 7. February 2012

The only ambition MC nuns were granted is the desire to be canonized as a saint. Johnson discovered Mother Teresa's deep involvement in the politics of the Catholic Church.

In this respect Mother [Teresa] was an ambitious woman. [It made her a slave to the Roman Catholic hierarchy rather than] the kind of saint who spoke truth to power. Book review by columnist Mike Pride, Out of the order. Reality clashes with faith in the service of Mother Teresa, presented by the "Concord Monitor", 25. September 2011

Christopher Hitchens is that even though he had published this book about Mother and was known all over the world as an opponent of hers, when he read the letters she had written to her spiritual directors, letters that were published ten years after her death, he changed his opinion of her. He wrote that he no longer considered her a fraud, that she was actually sincere in what she did, but that she was duped by people within the church, especially priests and bishops who were pleased to use her as a spokesperson for the church. I think there’s truth to that. And I must admit that Hitchens’s willingness to re-examine his conclusions in the light of new evidence is something that many religious people aren’t willing to do. Mary Johnson, Joining – Then Leaving – Mother Teresa: An Interview with Mary Johnson, presented by Beyond The Margins, Leslie Greffenius, 20. January 2012

Mary Johnson

He [Christopher Hitchens, author of The Missionary Position] was right that Mother Teresa took money from anybody – from the Duvaliers, from Castro […] She took money from Charles Keating and refused to give to back to the people whom he had cheated to get that large, substantial sum that he donated. Christopher Hitchens had all those facts right, but I don’t think he really understood Mother Teresa’s motivations. He called her a hypocrite, and I don’t think she was. I think she really firmly believed in what she was doing, she was trying her best. She did have limited understanding. She was born in 1910 in Albania; there were a lot of things that she really didn’t grasp. But I never found anything in her that was hypocritical.And what was interesting to me about Hitchens was that in 2007 – so, ten years after Mother Teresa’s death – he read the letters that she had written to her spiritual directors very early on, letters in which she talks about her doubts, about her soul feeling tormented. Hitchens publicly revised his opinion about Mother Teresa, in that he took back the hypocrite word and said, basically, he thought she was a true believer and she was trying her best and she was […] manipulated by the Vatican, was the way he worded it, and I think that was very accurate. Audio interview with Mary Johnson (*1958) US American nun in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), speaker, author, Life Stories #29: Mary Johnson, MP3, presented by Beatrice, host Ron Hogan, minute 15:56, 27:18 minutes duration, aired 30. March 2013

This is indeed a most humbling moment for us. Jesus must be telling us to make serious introspection and work harder to rectify allegations made in the book. [Instead of being provoked by the book and wasting] our energies fighting the allegations [within it, the congregation will continue to serve the poorest of the poor] with greater humility and renewed dedication as Mother taught us. Sr Mary Prema, elected superior-general of the MC order since 2009; cited in: Controversial book is thought-provoking, Indian UCAnews.com, 13. September 2011

A lot of people are very invested in the image of Mother Teresa, and they don’t want you to mess with their idea of her [...]. Some people will be ready for this book, and some people won't. Reliving it was really hard. At first I was afraid of writing the difficult things. I hope this book will promote dialogue [...] and that people will start talking from the [perspective of the] reality of their lives. We don’t do that enough. Mary Johnson, cited in: Dissecting the legacy of Mother Teresa. New memoir from a former Missionary of Charity, National, Alistair Newton, 28. September 2011

Question: What do you think of Mother Teresa as a person?Answer: Mother Teresa was, without question, the most dedicated, self-sacrificing person I've ever known, but not one of the wisest. Mother Teresa wasn't interested in providing optimal care for the sick and the dying, but in serving Jesus, whom she believed accepted every act of kindness offered the poor. She had her own doubts and feelings of abandonment by God, but her spiritual directors urged her to interpret these "torments of soul" as signs that she had come so close to God that she shared Jesus' passion on the cross. Under the sway of such spin, Mother Teresa came to glorify suffering. This resulted in a rather schizophrenic mindset by which Mother Teresa believed both that she was sent to minister to the poor AND that suffering should be embraced as a good in itself. Mother Teresa often told the sick and dying, "Suffering is the kiss of Jesus." Mother Teresa's sisters offer simple care and a smile, not competent medical treatment or tools with which to escape poverty. One could argue that Mother Teresa's faith both facilitated and tragically limited her work. With the enormous resources at her disposal, Mother Teresa could have done more, but she always saw helping the poor as a means to a supernatural end, never a good in itself. Mary Johnson, cited in: An Interview with Mary Johnson, Author of "An Unquenchable Thirst", presented by Big Think, host Adam Lee, 14. March 2012

I’ve never known anyone more dedicated or more self-sacrificing than Mother Teresa, nor anyone who wanted to be a saint more than she did. That said, Mother Teresa was not the wisest person I’ve known. The danger in canonizing her is

Disencouraging doubts and questioning in favor of the fundamentalist status quo of the church

In the Catholic Church, official theology is determined by the hierarchy, who have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. When Mother Teresa admitted to the priests and bishops who were her spiritual directors that she was tormented by feelings of distance from God and by doubts in God’s existence, these priests and bishops didn’t want to encourage real questioning; they probably didn’t even give themselves permission to question deeply. Unquestioning faith enables the system to continue undisturbed. […] Father Neuner taught Mother Teresa to reframe doubt as a sign that she had drawn so close to God that she shared the agony of Jesus, who cried from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mother Teresa's doubts did not therefore require examination, but a greater, unquestioning faith. Mary Johnson, US American nun in the order of the Missionaries of Charity (1977-1997), Mother Theresa's Masochism: Does Religion Demand Suffering to Keep People Passive?, presented by the US American publication Alternet, Valerie Tarico, 28. April 2013

"Hope Endures" is compelling. Livermore perfectly captures our yearning to want life to fit our spiritual ideals, only to learn it never will. But we cannot help but walk to continue to walk the path. This book is superb. Endorsement by Caroline MyssMyss.com (*1952) US American spiritual teacher, mystic, medical intuitive, bestselling author, source unknown

We all would see Mother Teresa personally but we'd start off in that way I told you before, of kneeling down before her and confessing whatever weaknesses we had, and then she would talk to give us a sort of instruction about the ways in which we could improve ourselves. But yes, you couldn't have an equal discussion. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008

But then there's a temptation to cowardice, isn't there, there's a temptation just to keep quiet. I think it was one of the British Prime Ministers said, 'All that you need for evil to triumph is for good people to remain silent.' And that's often been the problem, that religion takes away a person's backbone and makes them too suppliant sometimes, or too obedient, and they don't – maybe the world is saved more by the rebel than by the holy. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008

Obedience of cohesion and order vs. the obedience of cowardice and submission

I know that you need obedience, and you need a structure to life. I suppose it's a bit like a skeleton though, if you have a skeleton that's too weak, you keep breaking your bones and you can't move, and if you have a skeleton that's too rigid, you know, all your joints seize up and you can't move. So it's somehow trying to find a balance between a cohesive obedience and a subservient, restricted obedience. And I didn't understand this as a young person. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008

The inner voice of conscience is more important than any rule. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, presented by the Australian ABC Radio Classic FM, program "Mornings with Margaret Throsby", host Margaret Throsby, 37:59 minutes duration, aired 19. November 2008

There is a deep paradox at the heart of Mother Teresa.A lot of sisters who had left the order had ended up in a very dark place. They ended up in disillusionment. Some sisters had become angry in the system where you can't speak when being exposed to unjust situations. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, presented by the US American Radio station KERA, program "Think, Texas", host Krys Boyd, end of the interview, aired December 2008

A ruling was made that on this recollection day, this day of prayer, children were not to be admitted to the Home for the Children. This really sick child came in with stick arms, breathing really fast and dehydrated and I was told he couldn't stay. I had this internal conflict and eventually the child was admitted but only after I'd had a big fight. These sorts of things happened time and time again because there was this rigid obedience and timetable, so I wrote to Calcutta and said: 'This can't be right.'[Mother Teresa's reply was not the one Livermore had hoped for.] She said that just as Our Lady watched Jesus die, I should be able to accept the death of a child if obedience asked it of me.Then I said: 'That's against the gospel' and they said that even the devil could quote scripture. Colette Livermore, M.D., Australian nun of the Missionaries of Charity order (1973-1984), physician, author, cited in: Nun spurns Mother Teresa's rule to become an author, presented by the Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Courier-Mail, Mike OConnor, 16. December 2008

It [MT's spirituality] led her to some pretty dark places. She talked about her inner emptiness and misery. She said 'Empty yourself of all that's not God.' She just felt depleted and that's what happened to all of us too. Colette Livermore, M.D., Australian nun of the Missionaries of Charity order (1973-1984), physician, author, cited in: Nun spurns Mother Teresa's rule to become an author, presented by the Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Courier-Mail, Mike OConnor, 16. December 2008

Mother Teresa conceived of her doubts as being a trial and being a dark night of the soul. I mean she said that she suffered this terrible pain of loss of God not being God, of God not really existing, and she said there were so many doubts within her that she was afraid to face them because of the blasphemy and she said she even prayed 'If there be a God, forgive me', and she said that all these things whirling round inside her, she felt that they might unbalance her, and she's written all this in her letters that were published after her death. She even said that her cheerfulness was just a cloak to hide her inner misery and emptiness. And she felt heaven was a nothingness, and so the dividing line is fairly fine between the believer and the non-believer I think. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008

I feel that we can't know God. I don't think that we can say anything very much about God, because many of the things that I believed in, when they come up against reality, they don't seem to ring true. Radio interview with Colette Livermore, M.D., MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008

I ended up an agnostic. I just couldn't believe it any more. […] After all, no one handcuffed me. It was my own silly choice. […] [O]nce I was in there, I couldn't get free. That's part of the reason I wrote the book – to tell religious people not to give up that inner compass that they have. You can't live your life with all these excluding rules. Colette Livermore, M.D., Australian nun of the Missionaries of Charity order (1973-1984), physician, author, cited in: Nun spurns Mother Teresa's rule to become an author, presented by the Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Courier-Mail, Mike OConnor, 16. December 2008

Media sources featuring Colette Livermore, M.D., Australian nun of the "Missionaries of Charity" order (1973-1984), physician, author► Video presentation Hope Endures: Colette Livermore, YouTube film, 3:21 minutes duration, posted 7. November 2008► Radio interview MP3, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Conversation Hour", host Richard Fidler, 52:25 minutes duration, aired 18. November 2008► Radio interview MP3, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio Classic FM, program "Mornings with Margaret Throsby", host Margaret Throsby, 37:59 minutes duration, aired 19. November 2008► Radio interview MP3, transcript, presented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC Radio National, program "The Spirit of Things", host Dr. Rachael Kohn, aired 23. November 2008► Radio interview MP3, presented by the US American Radio WICN, New England, program "Public Eye", host Al Vouna, 24:57 minutes duration, aired December 2008► Radio interview MP3, presented by the US American Radio station KERA, program "Think, Texas", host Krys Boyd, aired December 2008

⚡ Walking away from a house of illusions harming helpers – Susan Shields

Women from many nations joined Mother Teresa in the expectation that they would help the poor and come closer to God themselves. When I left, there were more than 3,000 sisters in approximately 400 houses scattered throughout the world. Many of these sisters who trusted Mother Teresa to guide them have become broken people. In the face of overwhelming evidence, some of them have finally admitted that their trust has been betrayed, that God could not possibly be giving the orders they hear. It is difficult for them to decide to leave – their self-confidence has been destroyed, and they have no education beyond what they brought with them when they joined. I was one of the lucky ones who mustered enough courage to walk away. Susan Shields, US American former "Missionary of Charity" sister in a key accounting postion in the organization (1980-1989), cited in: Blog article Mother Teresa and her millions – Susan Shields and Walter Wuellenweber, presented by bharatabharati.wordpress.com, 2. March 2015

Written reflection after 9.5 years with MC convent and 9 years in the secular world

Women from many nations joined Mother Teresa in the expectation that they would help the poor and come closer to God themselves. When I left, there were more than 3,000 sisters in approximately 400 houses scattered throughout the world. Many of these sisters who trusted Mother Teresa to guide them have become broken people. In the face of overwhelming evidence, some of them have finally admitted that their trust has been betrayed, that God could not possibly be giving the orders they hear. It is difficult for them to decide to leave – their self-confidence has been destroyed, and they have no education beyond what they brought with them when they joined. Susan Shields, US American former "Missionary of Charity" sister in a key accounting postion in the organization (1980-1989), Mother Teresa's House of Illusions. How She Harmed Her Helpers As Well As Those They 'Helped' , presented by the bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary Free Inquiry published by the "Council for Secular Humanism", volume 18, # 1, winter issue January 1998

The donations rolled in and were deposited in the bank, but they had no effect on our ascetic lives and very little effect on the lives of the poor we were trying to help. […]Our Constitution forbade us to beg for more than we needed, but, when it came to begging, the millions of dollars accumulating in the bank were treated as if they did not exist. Susan Shields, US American former "Missionary of Charity" sister in a key accounting postion in the organization (1980-1989), Mother Teresa's House of Illusions. How She Harmed Her Helpers As Well As Those They 'Helped' , presented by the bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary Free Inquiry published by the "Council for Secular Humanism", volume 18, # 1, winter issue January 1998

[Paraphrased] Three crucial order rules at the Missionaries of Charity were prevalent in religious congregations before Vatican ll: Obedience ◊ suffering ◊ interdiction of human closeness

Three crucial order rules at MC prevalent in religious congregations before Vatican ll: Obedience – suffering – interdiction of human closeness1. An obedient sister is doing God's will. 2. Sisters have leverage over God by choosing to suffer. Their suffering makes God very happy. 3. Attachment to humans interferes with the love of God and must be avoided or immediately uprooted.

Facts debunk the myth of Mother Teresa.1. Mother Teresa was in love with suffering and simply didn’t take care of her charges, many of whom fruitlessly sought medical care.2. Mother Teresa was tightfisted about helping others, seequestered money donated for her work, and took money from dictators.3. Mother Teresa was tightfisted about helping others, sequestered money donated for her work, and took money from dictators.

Having analysed over 500 published writings researchers of the University of Ottawa found in March 2013 that Mother Teresa was a saint of the media, not the gutters. She cared about poverty and not the poor who received only 5% of the donations collected by the richest nun in history. She deemed it beautiful to see the poor suffer.

Christopher Hitchens: "On one instance the [MC] nuns claimed, untruthfully of course, that Calcutta had 450,000 lepers, knowing that the rich have a poor conscience and would promptly despatch their dollars."

Hinweis: D. Hawkins sandte Mutter Teresa das Manuskript seines Buchs Power vs. Force. Ihre schriftliche Empfangsbestätigung, verfasst am 23. August 1991, missbrauchte er als Buchempfehlung.Mutter Teresa an D. Hawkins: "Thank you very much for the book. Continue to use your beautiful gift of writing to the full, so that people may read the good news and glorify the Father, spread joy, love and compassion through what you write. The fruit of these three is peace as you know – the peace that comes from loving and caring and respecting every person as a child of God – my brother – my sister.”